§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will make a statement on the difficulties experienced in ensuring that enough staff were available at polling stations during the Assembly elections in November 2003; [149613]
(2) what plans he has to ensure that greater numbers of individuals will be available to staff polling stations at future elections. [148820]
§ Mr. SpellarDifficulties were experienced in the recruitment of polling station staff for the recent Assembly elections. These difficulties arose in part because of the time of year. However, due to the efforts of the Electoral Office, which included using civil servants as polling station staff, it was possible to fill all positions and enable the elections to be conducted successfully.
1409WThe administration of elections is a matter for the Chief Electoral Officer. However, the Government will continue to work closely with the CEO in his planning to ensure that polling stations are correctly staffed.